AA Stepping Up Carry-On Baggage Crackdown?

No doubt the carry-on baggage police will be out in force at all airlines this summer with very full flights expected, but American Airlines issued a stern warning to some travel agencies Monday saying that every carry-on bag, including those of elite-level fliers and first-class passengers, will have to fit in the airline’s bag-sizers.

The notice, labeled “Changes to the Carry-On Baggage Policy’’ with “Effective Date: Immediately–May 18, 2010’’ even includes a veiled threat at a fine of $25,000 per miscreant bag.

A spokesman for American said the notice was sent by an employee in the airline’s Washington, D.C., sales office who was, headquarters assumes, just trying to be “helpful.’’ American has been stepping up enforcement of carry-on baggage size limits, but the airline has made only one small change to its carry-on baggage policy, spokesman Tim Smith said. All bags must now fit in the sizer boxes at gates and meet the airline’s dimensional limit. Before, it was one or the other, and so odd-shaped objects like long tubes were legal.

American’s policy –old and new — says a carry-on bag can’t have length, width and height that add up to more than 45 inches. In addition, the bag can’t be longer than 22 inches, wider than 14 inches or deeper than 9 inches. I just measured my standard roll-aboard bag, which has fit in overhead bins easily for years: 23 inches long, not including the top handle, 14.5 inches wide and 9 inches deep empty.

Under the old policy, Mr. Smith said, it “is possible to have a bag or item that does not exceed 45 linear inches but will still not fit in the bag sizer. A long, narrow tube comes to mind as an example,’’ Mr. Smith said. “So in an effort to be fair and consistent to all, we have nominated our bag-sizers as the final arbiter as to what goes onboard as a carry-on.’’

The memo sent to travel agencies, which asks them to share it with their customers, notes that the policy“ includes all passengers, regardless or tier status or class of service flown.’’ And it includes a warning in red letters: “Failure to comply with the carry-on bag policy (which is approved by the FAA) could result in a civil penalty up to $25,000.00 USD per bag, per flight.’’

Airlines can’t fine passengers (or travel agencies) for carry-on baggage violators. While American and other airlines might be worried about FAA fines for having unsafe cabins, it’s more likely they are worried about two other factors: Losing out on checked baggage fee revenue from passengers who pack-mule belongings onboard, and taking delays on flights because bags have to be checked after bins fill up.

Travelers who comply with the policies get understandably irritated when people board with half their worldly possessions on wheels and on their backs, and many have long wondered why airlines aren’t more aggressive about enforcing their rules. But watch out: some of those bag sizers are a whole lot smaller than overhead bins. You may be shocked that your normal, workable bag that fits easily in bins doesn’t comply with inch limits and bag sizers.

I agree with Loyal SWFlyer - Most AA customers pay for their bags now unless they fall into certain categories. Let's face it, all the carriers could do a better job of serving us and charging less for bags. We are dollared to death by mega airlines who treat their employees and customers like so much cattle.

1:20 pm May 25, 2010

Le wrote :

I can't figure out how James has swung a job that has him flying 100k miles per year. He sounds like an illiterate fool. It's "couldn't care less", not "could care less". If you could care less, well, there's still less caring to come.

11:10 pm May 21, 2010

Ted wrote :

@James,
You might want to start using a spell checker, study fifth grade grammar, and for heavens sake, QUIT SHOUTING!

5:06 pm May 21, 2010

James wrote :

LoyalSW-
I have had nothing but great experiances on both UA and AA unlike what you say! I HAD to fly SWA TODAY..and I repeate HATED IT. I had this nasty lady that could care less. I had one of those stupid "free drink" things that was handed to me with my boarding pass..I wanted an engery drink and she said NO. COME ONE I just paied $500 to fly today on that trailer trash of an airline, and my coupon couldnt be used for a frign' energy drink,

I watched her interact with people, and she could have cared less. So Loyal - guess what, in my expeiranced (and I am over 100k per year...how aobut you?) I havn't seen what I saw today on SW!

SW LIES about "Bags fly free" I am calling them on that. I do NOT PAY for my 2 bags checked on AA or UA 3-4 a week. STOP LYING SW and go back to TX where you belong!

About The Middle Seat Terminal

Scott McCartney writes The Middle Seat every Thursday. The Wall Street Journal’s Travel Editor, Scott has been on the airline beat since 1995 — long enough to see it go from bust to boom and back to bust. He also writes a blog on travel at The Middle Seat Terminal.

Scott won the Online News Association award for online commentary in 2003 for “The Middle Seat,” the George Polk Award for transportation reporting in 2000, and has been honored by the Deadline Club and New York’s chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. Before joining the Journal in 1993, he spent 11 years at The Associated Press.

Scott, a native of Boston and graduate of Duke University, is the author of four books, includingThe Wall Street Journal Guide to Power Travel: How to Arrive with Your Dignity, Sanity, and Wallet Intact, which was published in 2009. He’s also an instrument-rated private pilot.